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Though considered the most powerful weapons in the universe, there is one power ring that outshines them all, capable of feats greater than any other.
Within the cosmic corners of the DC Universe, there are few entities more recognizable than that of the Green Lantern Corps. For many years, the Green Power Ring on the finger of these willful galactic warriors struck fear into the hearts of galactic tyrants and miscreants as the most powerful weapon in the universe. However, the DC Universe has far more than one kind of power ring flashing across these familiar galactic spaceways, and the Blue Lantern Ring of Hope is arguably more powerful than any other.
Each Lantern (regardless of color) draws their power from the emotions they embody. For the Green Lanterns, this power is drawn from their will to overcome. While powerful, these wielders are vulnerable to the power of fear, which is embodied in the yellow rings of the Sinestro Corps as well as the feelings of rage embodied by the Red Lantern Corps. Just as real emotions can build on one another, amplifying and layering over one another, so too can the powers of the various Lantern Corps. This concept that grants the Blue Ring the power that it does.
Known primarily for their peaceful and pacifist mentality, the Blue Lantern Corps act as some of the closest allies to the Green Lanterns, with perhaps their most recognizable vanguard, Saint Walker, being a close friend to John Stewart, Hal Jordan, and many other fan-favorite Lanterns. The Blue Lantern Corps are decidedly smaller than that of their contemporaries, with only a handful of Lanterns at their largest due to the lack of individuals who truly embody the purest of hope. Despite this limitation, these few Blue Lanterns have exhibited power levels beyond any other when fighting alongside the willful Green Lanterns, even using this raw energy to reignite a dying sun.
On their own, these Blue Lanterns are severely limited, with healing abilities augmented by the power to fly and maintain a protective field when traveling through harsh atmosphere. In these instances, an argument can be made that the Blue Lanterns are the weakest of the Corps. However, when fighting alongside a Green Lantern, the power of these blue knights becomes near limitless. Hope on its own is nothing, but when coupled with the willpower to act on it, that hope can become a neigh-unbeatable force, and this philosophy deeply connects these two Corps. In Green Lantern #36 (by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert, Nei Raffino and Rob Leigh), the issue that formally introduces the Blue Lanterns, Saint Walker and Brother Warth (another Blue Lantern) renew the lifeforce within a dying sun, siphoning the willpower from Hal Jordan and the hope from millions within the solar system to recharge the sun while depleting no charge within the ring itself.
When in contact with a green ring, the Blue Ring can also amplify the power levels of all other rings around it to above their standard threshold, meaning allied Lanterns can become even more effective in combat when within proximity of a Blue Lantern. The healing properties of a Blue Ring also amplify when in proximity to a Green Ring, once allowing Hal Jordan to break free from the influence of a Red Ring, meaning the concentrated power of hope can pretty much overpower any other emotion within the spectrum.
The power balance of a Blue Lantern fluctuates more than perhaps any other due to its close connection with the Green power of will, either being the most powerful force on the field, or the most ineffectual. And while these gentle Lanterns tend to shy away from unnecessary violence, they are often the victims of those targeting the Corps. As they stand now, Saint Walker is the only remaining Blue Lantern, following a devastating purge from Green Lantern villain, Relic, that destroyed their homeworld and nearly destroyed the Corps as a whole. This lone sentinel continues to be a beacon of hope, even if his appearances within the comics have been infrequent in recent years. With a new HBO show on the horizon, and a new ongoing Green Lantern comic only in its seventh issue, there is hope that the Blue Lanterns will find their resurgence soon. In the words of the Blue Lanterns themselves, “All will be well.”
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